The instructor shot in public the liberation fighters who declared the uprising; Afterwards, he cried and said, I don't regret killing him
At the beginning of 1949, the Battle of Pingjin was coming to an end, and the Kuomintang troops in Beiping declared an uprising. At this turning point in history, a shocking event quietly occurred. Huang Guisheng, an instructor of the 2nd Battalion of the 588th Regiment of the 196th Division of the North China Field Army, suddenly pulled out his gun and killed a liberation fighter who was speaking on the spot at a grievance meeting of the insurrectionary troops. This move not only shattered the peaceful atmosphere of the uprising, but also triggered a series of unpredictable consequences.
Why would an experienced instructor behave so out of control? What did the shot liberation fighter say that touched the deepest pain in Huang Guisheng's heart? What kind of historical grievances are hidden behind this incident? During the interrogation, Huang Guisheng said with tears in his eyes: "I don't regret killing him." What is the story behind this sentence? Let's uncover the truth of this long-sealed history.
On November 29, 1948, the Battle of Pingjin officially began. The campaign was a strategic offensive of unprecedented scale by the PLA in North China, with the goal of liberating the cities of Beiping (present-day Beijing) and Tianjin. In the early days of the campaign, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) adopted the tactics of attacking first and then reinforcing the Kuomintang army, and successively annihilated the peripheral troops of the Kuomintang army in Zhangjiakou and Xin'an.
As the war progressed, the situation of the Kuomintang army became increasingly difficult. On January 14, 1949, Fu Zuoyi, deputy commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang North China "Suppression Commander", delivered a radio speech in Beiping, announcing the cessation of the civil war and the beginning of peace negotiations with the People's Liberation Army. This move set off a chain reaction within the city of Peiping, and many Kuomintang troops began to seek an opportunity to revolt.
On January 21, the 35th Army, the 94th Army and other units of the Kuomintang Army took the lead in announcing the uprising and submitted a request to the PLA to accept the reorganization. The news quickly spread throughout the city of Beiping, triggering a response from more troops. Only three days later, the 25 divisions of the Kuomintang army stationed in Beiping successively announced the surrender uprising, and began to open the city of Beiping in an orderly manner, preparing to accept the reorganization of the People's Liberation Army.
In order to ensure the smooth integration of the rebel troops into the ranks of the PLA, the 66th Army of the North China Field Army was assigned to be responsible for the reorganization. They organized the rebel forces into several independent divisions, of which the 55th Independent Division was formed by the merger of several units of the former Kuomintang Army.
The reorganization work is not just a simple readjustment of the military establishment, but more importantly, it is necessary to carry out ideological transformation and political education for the officers and men of the uprising. Given that the vast majority of the rebel soldiers were peasants from poor backgrounds, the PLA considered it necessary and effective to have them complain in public.
The purpose of the meeting was to arouse the class consciousness of the insurrectionary soldiers, to make them aware of the suffering they had suffered in the old society, and to stimulate their yearning for the new China and their support for the Communist Party. This method can not only help the rebel soldiers to clarify their thinking and position, but also establish an emotional connection with the PLA, laying the foundation for future army building.
At the end of January, the 66th Army of the North China Field Army held a large-scale grievance meeting in a camp outside Beiping. Present at the meeting were not only officers and men who had just revolted, but also commanders and fighters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and representatives of the local masses. At the meeting site, a simple wooden platform was erected, on which a banner was hung with the words "Down with the Kuomintang reactionaries and welcome the People's Liberation Army."
After the congress began, an uprising fighter named Yin Xifeng came to the stage. Yin Xifeng was thin and wore a slightly faded military uniform, but there was a determined glint in his eyes. He began to tell his life and experience, and although his voice was not loud, he wept blood every word.
Yin Xifeng was born a poor peasant, and was kicked out of his house by the landlord when he was a child because his family could not pay the rent. Later, he was forcibly conscripted by the Kuomintang army, and was bullied and oppressed in the army. He described witnessing how the Kuomintang army oppressed the people and wreaked havoc on the villages, as well as his own inner pain and struggle.
Yin Xifeng's complaint aroused a strong resonance among everyone present. Many of the rebel soldiers burst into tears, and some even sobbed. Just as Yin Xifeng was about to finish speaking, a sudden gunshot broke the atmosphere of the venue.
I saw Huang Guisheng, an instructor of the 2nd Battalion of the 588th Regiment of the 196th Division of the North China Field Army, who had rushed to the front of the stage at some point. The pistol in his hand was still smoking, and Yin Xifeng on the stage had fallen in a pool of blood. Everyone present was stunned by this sudden change, and for a moment the venue fell into a deathly silence.
Huang Guisheng stood in place, the gun in his hand still pointed at Yin Xifeng's corpse, and the expression on his face was both anger and grief. This move not only broke the peaceful atmosphere of the grievance meeting, but also cast a shadow over the entire uprising and reorganization work.
Before everyone could react, several PLA soldiers quickly rushed forward and subdued Huang Guisheng. At the same time, medical personnel also rushed to the scene to check on Yin Xifeng's injuries, but quickly shook his head and announced that Yin Xifeng had died.
This sudden incident immediately aroused great attention from the top level of the North China Field Army. After receiving the report, Yang Chengwu, commander of the 20 th Corps, and Li Jingquan, political commissar of the 20 th Corps, immediately rushed to the scene to deal with the matter. They ordered the suspension of the grievance meeting and took Huang Guisheng away for interrogation.
Huang Guisheng's story begins in his hometown, Fenglebao Village, Suning County, Hebei Province. Situated along the road from Hejian to Suning, this small village is a low-lying village that suffers from flooding all year round, but thanks to its strategic location, the villagers are still able to make ends meet.
In 1925, Huang Guisheng was born in this village. His father was an ordinary tenant farmer who made a living from farming. Despite his poor family, Huang Guisheng has shown extraordinary intelligence since he was a child. In the countryside at that time, it was an extremely luxurious thing to be able to go to school and study. Fortunately, the surname Huang is the eldest surname in the village, and there is a rule in the village that Huang's children can go to school for free. As a result, seven-year-old Huang Guisheng was able to step through the doors of the school.
However, Huang Guisheng's path to education was not smooth. After the September 18 Incident in 1931, the iron heel of Japan imperialism gradually spread to North China. In 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out, and the all-out War of Resistance began. At that time, Huang Guisheng was in high school and was about to finish his studies, but he had to drop out of school because of the war.
The arrival of the Japanese army brought a deep disaster to the village of Fenglebao. Huang Guisheng clearly remembers that when the Japanese army first entered the village, they not only robbed the villagers of the livestock and food they relied on for survival, but also forcibly recruited strong men. Although the landlord of the village, Huang Tingying, had a good reputation, he had to come up with a large amount of money to meet the demands of the Japanese army.
In such a difficult environment, Huang Guisheng, who was only 12 years old, began his anti-Japanese road. At first, he, along with other children in the village, delivered information to the guerrillas and monitored the movements of the Japanese army. As he grew older, Huang Guisheng gradually became involved in more anti-Japanese activities.
In 1941, sixteen-year-old Huang Guisheng officially joined the Eighth Route Army. When he first entered the barracks, although he was thin and small, he was brave and witty, and he was soon appreciated by his superiors. In the army, Huang Guisheng not only learned military skills, but also received systematic political education, and gradually formed a firm revolutionary conviction.
In the winter of 1942, Huang Guisheng participated in the famous "Battle of the Hundred Regiments". In this war against Japan, which was unprecedented in scale, he showed extraordinary courage and wisdom. Once, Huang Guisheng's squad was surrounded by Japanese troops, and the situation was extremely critical. At this moment, Huang Guisheng came up with a clever plan. He led several comrades-in-arms to feign surrender, and suddenly launched a counterattack when the Japanese army was unprepared, not only successfully breaking through, but also capturing several Japanese soldiers. This battle made Huang Guisheng famous in the army.
In the following years, Huang Guisheng participated in many important battles and made many achievements. He was not only brave on the battlefield, but also excelled in political work. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, Huang Guisheng was appointed platoon commander and was responsible for training new soldiers.
However, after the Kuomintang launched the civil war, Huang Guisheng threw himself into the torrent of the Liberation War. In the Pingjin Campaign, he had grown into an instructor in the 2nd Battalion of the 588th Regiment of the 196th Division of the North China Field Army. As an experienced veteran, Huang Guisheng was not only responsible for the political work of the troops, but also participated in important military operations.
During the war years, Huang Guisheng witnessed too much suffering and sacrifice. He saw with his own eyes the atrocities of the Japanese army, and also witnessed the corruption and incompetence of the Kuomintang army. These experiences deeply influenced him and shaped his strong revolutionary convictions and bitter hatred for his enemies.
In January 1949, when Huang Guisheng stood at the scene of the grievance meeting outside Beiping, his heart was full of complicated emotions. As a revolutionary veteran who came from the flames of war, he is full of expectations for the future of New China. However, when he heard the speech of the rebel fighter named Yin Xifeng on the stage, an irrepressible anger suddenly ignited in his heart.
It was at this moment that Huang Guisheng made a decision that changed his life. He pulled out the pistol from his waist and rushed to the podium. In full view of everyone, he fired three shots at Yin Xifeng. This move not only broke the peaceful atmosphere of the grievance meeting, but also cast a shadow over the entire uprising and reorganization work.
Huang Guisheng's behavior immediately caused an uproar. As an instructor with rich combat experience and political literacy, why did he behave so uncontrollably? This question not only bothered everyone present, but also became the focus of the next investigation.
Yin Xifeng, the rebel fighter who was shot dead by Huang Guisheng at the grievance meeting, is far more complicated than it seems. During the PLA's interrogation of Huang Guisheng, Mr. Yin's background gradually surfaced, revealing a little-known history.
Yin Xifeng, formerly known as Yin Changqing, was born in 1920 in an ordinary peasant family in Dingxing County, Hebei Province. His father was a tenant farmer who rented the landlord's land all year round, and the family lived in poverty. In 1935, 15-year-old Yin Changqing decided to leave home to earn a living in order to reduce the burden on his family. He came to Peking and worked as an apprentice in a teahouse.
After the outbreak of the July Seven Incident in 1937, Beiping fell. Yin Changqing witnessed the atrocities of the Japanese army when they entered the city, and his heart was filled with hatred for the invaders. Against this background, he joined the underground anti-Japanese organization and began to engage in intelligence work. With the convenience of working in a teahouse, Yin Changqing collected a lot of valuable information and made important contributions to anti-Japanese activities.
However, during an operation in 1939, Yin Changqing was unfortunately exposed. In order to protect the organization, he was forced to leave Beiping and moved to a small village in southern Hebei Province. Here, he changed his name to Yin Xifeng and started a new life.
In 1941, the Japanese army launched the "Law and Order Strengthening Campaign" in North China, and vigorously searched for anti-Japanese elements. In order to evade the pursuit of the Japanese army, Yin Xifeng had to flee again. This time, he came to Suning County, Hebei Province, which happened to be Huang Guisheng's hometown.
At this time, fate played a cruel joke on Yin Xifeng. A local traitor group mistakenly thought Yin Xifeng was a deserter and captured him and handed him over to the Japanese army. Under the torture of the Japanese army, in order to save his life, Yin Xifeng had to tell some information about the anti-Japanese organization that he knew.
This information led to the destruction of a local anti-Japanese group. And this group is exactly what Huang Guisheng once participated in. In this operation, several of Huang Guisheng's close comrades-in-arms were tragically killed, including his cousin Huang Jianguo.
Yin Xifeng's betrayal dealt a huge blow to the local anti-Japanese activities. But he didn't become a complete traitor. After being released by the Japanese army, Yin Xifeng was full of guilt and self-blame. He decided to rejoin the anti-Japanese cause as an atonement for his sins.
In 1943, Yin Xifeng finally joined the Kuomintang army through various connections. He hoped to be able to fight the Japanese on the frontal battlefield and clear his name. However, his unit did not participate in much actual combat and was stationed in the rear most of the time.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Yin Xifeng continued to serve in the Kuomintang army. However, he gradually discovered corruption and incompetence within the Kuomintang army and lost confidence in the rule of the Kuomintang. When the People's Liberation Army advanced towards Beiping, Yin Xifeng's unit chose to revolt.
In the process of reorganization after the uprising, Yin Xifeng was incorporated into the 66th Army of the North China Field Army. When he stood on the podium of the grievance conference, he decided to confess his past as a way to break with the old society once and for all. What he didn't expect, however, was that his confession would trigger such serious consequences.
Yin Xifeng's speech on stage mainly focused on the corruption and oppression he saw and heard during his service in the Kuomintang army. He described how the Kuomintang army oppressed the people, embezzled military salaries, and his own inner pain and struggle. However, just as he was about to confess his experience during the Japanese rule, Huang Guisheng's bullet interrupted his speech.
An investigation afterwards revealed that Huang Guisheng recognized Yin Xifeng at the grievance meeting. In that incident many years ago, although Huang Guisheng did not see Yin Xifeng with his own eyes, he had a general impression of the appearance of this "traitor" through the descriptions of other surviving comrades. When he saw Yin Xifeng at the grievance meeting, the hatred that had been suppressed for many years exploded instantly.
This incident not only reveals the complex interpersonal relations within the revolutionary ranks, but also reflects the close interweaving of the fate of the individual and the fate of the country in a special historical period. Yin Xifeng and Huang Guisheng, two people who were supposed to stand on the same front, became enemies because of the cruelty of the war. This tragic end also brought new challenges to the entire uprising and reorganization.
As the investigation deepened, Yin Xifeng's true identity was fully revealed. This not only made the top level of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in charge of handling the case difficult, but also triggered in-depth thinking about how to deal with similar problems left over from history. Yin Xifeng's case has become a microcosm of the handling of historical issues in the early days of the founding of New China.
The incident in which Huang Guisheng shot and killed Yin Xifeng caused a huge shock inside and outside the city of Beiping. This incident not only broke the peaceful atmosphere of the grievance meeting, but also brought serious challenges to the entire uprising and reorganization work. The top level of the People's Liberation Army immediately set up a special investigation team to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth investigation of the incident.
The investigation team first conducted a detailed interrogation of Huang Guisheng. During the interrogation, Huang Guisheng confessed his motives. He recounted in detail the 1941 incident that led to the collapse of the anti-Japanese group due to Yin Xifeng's betrayal, and the death of his cousin Huang Jianguo in that operation. Huang Guisheng said that he had buried this hatred in his heart for many years, and he couldn't control his emotions until he saw Yin Xifeng at the grievance meeting.
At the same time, the investigation team also conducted an in-depth investigation into Yin Xifeng's background. They visited Yin Xifeng's hometown, the teahouse where he once worked, and the place where he had been active during the anti-Japanese period. Through these investigations, Yin Xifeng's complicated experience gradually surfaced. The investigation team found that Yin Xifeng did reveal some information to the Japanese army because he could not bear the torture, but he later tried to make up for his mistakes in various ways.
The handling of this case has sparked in-depth discussions at the top level of the PLA. On the one hand, Huang Guisheng's behavior seriously violated discipline and undermined the order of the grievance rally, and must be severely punished. On the other hand, considering Huang Guisheng's contributions to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, as well as the motives for his actions, it cannot simply be characterized as premeditated murder.
After repeated discussions, it was finally decided to expel Huang Guisheng from the military and sentence him to 10 years in prison. This result not only reflects the strict requirements for discipline, but also takes into account Huang Guisheng's special situation.
However, the impact of this case goes far beyond that. It has triggered in-depth thinking on how to deal with problems left over from history at the top level of the PLA. At the critical moment when New China was about to be founded, how to correctly handle the various contradictions and hatreds left over from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation has become an issue that needs to be solved urgently.
To this end, the PLA General Headquarters has issued a special document providing guidance on how to deal with similar problems. The document points out that it is necessary to take a correct view of the mistakes made by individuals in a special historical period, and we can neither deny them all nor completely forgive them. Leniency should be given to those who had made mistakes but had since been actively corrected to help them reintegrate into the new society. At the same time, the document also stresses that those who take extreme actions due to personal grievances must be dealt with seriously and revolutionary discipline must be maintained.
The promulgation of this document has played an important role in guiding the whole army in dealing with similar problems. In the subsequent reorganization work, similar contradictions were more properly handled, and the recurrence of similar incidents was effectively avoided.
The impact of Huang Guisheng's case was also reflected in the education of the rebel troops. The top echelons of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have realized that it is not only necessary to carry out political and ideological education for these insurrectionary officers and soldiers who have just joined the revolutionary ranks, but also to help them correctly handle past grievances. For this reason, in the subsequent reorganization work, special education on unity and discipline were strengthened to help the officers and men of the uprising establish a correct revolutionary concept.
In the city of Beiping, the case has also aroused widespread discussion. Through this case, many citizens have a deep understanding of the complexity and arduousness of the revolution. Some people who originally had a wait-and-see attitude toward the PLA gradually changed their views and gained confidence in the new regime when they saw the PLA's serious attitude and fair approach to such a complex issue.
At the same time, the case became a microcosm of the period of social transition at that time. It reflects the arduousness and complexity of how to deal with the problems left over from the old society at a time when the victory of the revolution is imminent. Through this case, people can see the wisdom and determination of the new regime in the face of complex problems.
In the months that followed, the PLA continued to advance the integration of the insurgent forces. Huang Guisheng's experience in handling the case has been widely used and has effectively resolved many potential contradictions. By the end of 1949, the reorganization of the insurrectionary forces had been basically completed, laying an important foundation for the establishment of New China.
The repercussions of this case lasted long after the founding of the People's Republic of China. It has become an important reference for dealing with problems left over from history, and has also become a warning for the self-building of the revolutionary contingent. In the years since, whenever a similar complex issue is encountered, people will always look back on the case and draw lessons from it.
The repercussions of Huang's case are far from dissipating with the passage of time. In the years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, this case has caused ripples in the long river of history in various forms, and has become a topic that has been constantly mentioned and discussed.
In 1951, in the midst of the nationwide land reform movement, Huang Guisheng's case was mentioned again. At that time, in some localities there was excesses in dealing with the question of landlords and kulaks, and some people took the opportunity to take revenge on personal grievances. The central government discovered this problem in a timely manner and cited Huang Guisheng's case as a negative teaching material in an important document. The document states that revolution is not a tool for personal revenge, but for the purpose of building a more fair and just society. The issuance of this document has effectively curbed the excesses that have emerged in some places.
In 1954, the Constitution of the People's Republic of China was promulgated. During the discussion of the draft constitution, the provisions on the rights and duties of citizens were hotly debated. Some of the participants referred to the case of Huang Guisheng as a reflection of the complexity of balancing individual rights and social responsibilities in a particular historical period. Eventually, the provisions of the Constitution on the rights and duties of citizens absorbed the fruits of these discussions to some extent.
In 1957, during the Rectification Movement, Huang Guisheng's case was mentioned again. Some intellectuals, in their criticism of bureaucracy and sectarianism, cite this case as an example. They believe that this case reflects some problems existing within the revolutionary ranks, and how to correctly handle these problems has a bearing on the success or failure of the revolutionary cause. These discussions provide some valuable food for thought for the rectification movement.
In 1961, during the nationwide rectification campaign, Huang Guisheng's case again became an important topic of discussion. At that time, some localities were biased in dealing with issues left over from history, either too lenient or too harsh. In an internal document of the central authorities, citing the Huang Guisheng case as an example, the central authorities stressed the need to adhere to the principle of seeking truth from facts when dealing with historical issues, and that we should neither deny them all nor affirm them all. This guiding principle has played an important role in correcting deviations in some places.
In 1966, the Cultural Revolution broke out. In this campaign, Huang Guisheng's case has been misinterpreted and exploited by some people. Some glorified Huang's actions as "revolutionary actions" and dismissed his punishment as "suppressing revolutionary enthusiasm." To a certain extent, this erroneous view contributed to the ultra-left tendencies of the Cultural Revolution. It was not until the latter part of the Cultural Revolution that this erroneous view was corrected.
In 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held, opening a new era of reform and opening up. In the process of summing up the lessons of history, the case of Huang Guisheng was mentioned again. Some veteran cadres mentioned this case in their memoirs, believing that it embodied the wisdom and courage of the party and the army in handling complex issues in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. These memories provide a useful reference for the party building work in the new period.
In 1982, when the new party constitution was discussed, the provisions on the rights and duties of party members sparked a heated discussion. Some veteran comrades who participated in the discussion mentioned the Huang Guisheng case, saying that this case reflects how to correctly handle the relationship between personal emotions and organizational discipline. These discussions provided a reference for the formulation of relevant articles in the Party Constitution.
In 1987, during the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the army, the case of Huang Guisheng was re-examined as an important historical case. Military history researchers have conducted an in-depth analysis of this case and believe that it reflects the wisdom and determination of how the people's army should deal with complex problems in the process of construction. These research results have provided useful enlightenment for army building in the new period.
In 1997, on the eve of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, some British government officials and police officers in Hong Kong were faced with the choice of staying or staying. In the discussion on how to deal with these people, the case of Huang Guisheng was mentioned. They believe that this case provides a useful reference for how to deal with problems left over from history. Eventually, the Hong Kong SAR government adopted a more lenient policy in dealing with these issues, drawing in part from the experience of Wong Kwai Sang's case.
In 2001, during an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the case of Huang Guisheng was mentioned again. Some party history researchers have conducted in-depth research on this case as a typical case of the party's handling of complex issues in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. They believe that this case reflects the party's wisdom and courage in handling complex issues and provides useful enlightenment for party building in the new period.
In 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, some historians reviewed and studied the major historical events in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. As an important case, Huang Guisheng's case has once again attracted the attention of scholars. They reinterpreted the case from a new historical perspective, believing that it not only reflected the complex situation in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but also demonstrated the wisdom and ability of the Communist Party of China to deal with complex issues.